Unmarrried middle class parents...

[RoseWhiteTips]

Unmarried middle-class parents more likely to see their children drop in social status

Children of professional parents who were not married had a 53 per cent chance of being on benefits, compared to 37 per cent for those whose parents had married.
(The Telegraph 20th January 2018)

Would you seriously consider marriage to safeguard the future status of your children?

Observing as somebody born in 1965, comfortably off family....dad was an accountant.

Thinking of school 5-18 (so I was probably friends with at least 100-150 in that time), I only remember one child who had a step parent, one friend who was adopted, possibly 10-20% of friends' mothers did paid work. This was growing up in a not particularly smart middle class dominated town.

If I were to think hard enough/quizz the parents of DD's classmates it would be very very different.

Has there also been research on the effect on upper- and working-classes?

Or is the Telegraph only interested in middle-class people?

With the 'children' involved aged nearly 50, I'm not sure it's a guide for children now.

Regardless of social class unmarried parents split way more than marrieds, and single parenthood is a traditional route to benefits. There's less money around because the expenses of housing parents separately are greater and most absent fathers don't support their children. Yep, still, in 2018. That's not news, however.

Heap of keech.

( with a Scottish "CH" on the end.)

Scots will understand this.

I thought social status wasn't really a thing anymore. People don't consider their class or status.

Keech is a great word, it’s onomatopoeic

People don't consider their class or status I’m afraid they do.v much
It’s an English obsession, class ,house prices and ones perceived status comparable to others

I for one really couldn't give a fig about my class or status, perceived or otherwise.

knowwhen I'm not married. What type of person am I?

Indeed,you may not care.but IME many do.
Mn is awash with class.look at any names thread, or Russell Group uni thread

Completely agree. I used to 'joke' we were nouveau pauvre.

CharizMa "nouveau pauvre"

May I borrow this please?

actually I'm sure the people who pay attention to stuff like this would call me middle class, but I'd say nouveau pauvre on account of house prices.

"Not sure how exactly children of motivated parents suffer long term by a drop in money (piano lessons don’t really count). Leaving private school, perhaps?"

Having to get a teenage job that interferes with homework, having to babysit younger children because the only parent around works in the evenings interfering with homework. Not being able to go to university because the family is now too poor. These are all real life examples that happened to a friend of mine.
They were never in the league of private schools, but moved from comfortable lower middle class to precarious.

We’re unmarried with a 150K combined income. I don’t think my kids are exactly suffering
This is hilarious... and is printed to serve the agenda of a certain newspaper

Loving Bertrand's comment.

"I for one really couldn't give a fig about my class or status, perceived or otherwise."

If you married a duke, or started working as a binman, I bet you how others perceive you would be an issue to you. If you do a similar job to everyone else you know, it might not be an issue.

"I'm sure the people who pay attention to stuff like this would call me middle class, but I'd say nouveau pauvre on account of house prices."

Well a certain knowledge of French means you're educated.

This makes complete sense; If parents are married then split, then assets and contribution reflects the parent who earns the most. If not married then the parent who bears the brunt of child care is often at a severe financial disadvantage.

It has nothing to do with 'middle class' and nothing to do with whether people 'don't want to get married' and everything to do with the legal and financial protection afforded by marriage in this country.

Just read this out to the room and asked for their opinions at work..

They all said that if your unmarried (had children out of wedlock) then you're not middle class to begin with.

I think the opinion is different if you're a divorcee. According to them, you can still be middle class and divorced.

Blimey Sirlee66 where do you work??

Daily Mail

Whoops, posted before I'd finished...

You just can't have children out of wedlock and be middle class (according to them)

Ive got to be honest. I wouldn't be able to look at anyone and tell what class they are!? To me people are either typical Jeremy Kyle guests or just normal people? ...Or you know... The Queen

fail to get married

I think this extract from the first sentence tells you pretty much all you need to know about anything else expressed therein

Not social class, but general better outcomes for children is one of the reasons I wanted to be married before having kids (legal standing, more financial security etc and the fact I loved him were also big factors). Children of married people are also more likely to be successful, happy and healthy in the long term. Again probably more correlation that causation, but as I'm not anti-marriage I didn't see an issue not to marry.

Serin don't! When I first started they all asked me what paper I read on a Sunday! I was like.. ummm Twitter?.....

:S

Sirlee66, I was thinking of Mette Marit, the crown princess of Norway, considered by everyone as coming from a solidly middle class background. Who has a boy from a previous relationship before she met and then married Haakon, the Crown Prince.